Happily Ever After
by shortie is back
Summary: He's looking for a princess... but all he can find is a prince


**Disclaimer-** _Newsies__ is WAYYYYY too cool to be owned by me._

**Happily Ever After**

_                                                        in a beautiful, magical land, far, far away, _

_                                                                 there lived **a handsome prince… **_

She read him a bedtime story every night. He could expect, every night without a doubt, to be astounded and amazed by the soothing tone of her voice as she told him of wonderful places, filled with magic; Good and evil would battle through swordfights and duels, with good always coming out on top. 

_                                                                the people of the kingdom cheered, _

_                                                          for the dragon was slain and the **prince **_

**_                                                             had married his beautiful princess…_**

She'd always smile when she read those enchanting love scenes. She seemed to like those the most, and that made him happy. She loved happy endings full of true love and marriage. She'd spoken to him once, when she thought he'd been asleep. She said things she had never meant for him to hear; she'd missed out on being a princess when she married his father and became pregnant. That was why she thrived so much on those tales.

_                                                               and they lived **happily ever after…**_

_                                                                                _**The End **

"Mama," He'd asked her once. "Does the prince always find a princess?"

"Yes, Francis," she had answered, smoothing back his hair.

"But Mama, what if he gets confused and finds another prince?"

**_                             she'd smiled tightly, a smile _**

**_                         that didn't quite meet her eyes_**

****

"A true prince would never get confused. He always finds the **beautiful princess**," she kissed him on the head, "and you will find yours."

"Are you my princess, Mama?"

_                                                                   his eyes were wide and innocent; _

_                                                      the naïve nature of his age shining though. _

"No, Francis. I am your queen. When you are older you will find your princess. **And you will live happily ever after_._**_"_

**_he_****_ always felt safe with her. _**

**_                        as long as she was there, nothing could harm him…_**

**and**** then his queen was killed.**

He remembered the day perfectly; he could still hear the gunshot ringing in his ears if he listened hard enough. His mother was sprawled across the floor of the main room of the tiny apartment in a puddle of her own blood. 

**_                                    pain. agony. abandonment._**

****

His father was carted off to prison. Suddenly he was _alone. **alone****. alone.**_

**__**

                                                    alone

_abandoned__._

_                                                                                                    alone_

**_                                           with nowhere to go._**

****

He was trapped.

Until he found them.

**The Newsies.**** They took him in, gave him a job, food, and shelter.**

_                                                        a reason to live. something to depend on._

He had everything, once again; except what he wanted to find more than anything.

**                                                       A Princess.**

He would slay the dragon, save the kingdom, and then he and his beautiful princess would live happily ever after, just like they were meant to.

_                                                                        and then he turned seventeen_

_                                                   and suddenly he was on top_

_he__ was the leader and had his choice of princesses._

**                                           Sarah was the first**

His mother would have been proud of him for finding her. Sarah was attractive and wonderful with her long brown curls that felt silky between his fingers and fell so gracefully down her back.

_                                        he liked her, sure he did._

_                                         she wasn't too smart,_

_                                            but they had fun._

_        and she was willing to give everything away to him; to become his princess_

****

**                                                                                    but he didn't love her; **

**                                                                          and try as hard as he might, **

**                              he couldn't imagine living happily ever after with her.**

He told himself a bedtime story every night, the same one she told him back when he was young. A story of chivalry, knights riding on horseback through the woods to rescue the damsel in distress; a story of magic and an old wise man that lived in the hollow of an enchanted tree.

A story that held love and happiness as the prince and the princess were married and they lived _happily ever after. _

**                                 and he remembered his old question**

It came to him suddenly. He wanted a prince. 

_                                                        and he knew exactly who that prince was_

His name was Bumlets. Bumlets was a few months older than him and had taken him under his wing when he had first come to the Lodging House. 

Bumlets was the perfect prince; tall, handsome, strong, and brave. 

_                                                                           what would his mother say?_

**She would be angry that he'd gotten confused. She'd said princes never got confused. They always found their princesses.**

Gashes adorned his body. Deep and blood red; there was one for every emotion. One for every mistake.

_slash___

**for**** his mother**

_slash___

**for**** his pain**

_slash_****

**for**** his prince**

_slash_****

**for**** not having a princess**

_slash___

_slash_

_slash___

**for**** himself.**

                                                       …and the gunshot rang clearly in his ears

                                                      the same as when she was taken from him

**then**** he was gone.**

And he lived happily ever after.


End file.
